Tim Tszyu was scheduled to fight 4-belt, 154-pound world title-holder Jermell Charlo in Las Vegas on Jan. 28, but that match fell out when Charlo suffered a broken hand in training. Wishing to stay active, Tszyu invited Tony Harrison to meet him in Sydney. They fought tonight with the WBO Interim 154-pound world title at stake.

Although Tszyu was favored in the 13/5 range and would have the home field advantage, many rated Harrison, the 32-year-old Detroiter, a protégé of the late Emanuel Steward, a very live underdog. Tszyu had shown some defensive vulnerability in his previous match against Terrell Gausha. Harrison had split two fights with the aforementioned Charlo who would otherwise be undefeated.

Harrison, however, did not bring his “A” game and the son of the fabled Kostya Tszyu, a first ballot Hall of Famer, was in firm control when he closed the show in the ninth round, nailing Harrison (29-4-1) with a succession of harsh uppercuts. Although Harrison stayed upright, the referee could have well stepped in a bit sooner before waiving it off.

Tszyu staggered Harrison in round three with a round-house right and it was an uphill battle for the Detroiter from that point on. Harrison worked the jab effectively, but it was his only consistent weapon whereas Tszyu, who improved to 22-0 (16 KOs), had a more varied attack and consistently landed the harder punches.

The capacity crowd at 21,000-seat Qudos Bank Stadium was delirious when Tszyu closed the show. If Tim can lure Jermell Charlo to Australia, it will likely command a larger venue (think outdoors).

Other Bouts of Note

Paulo Aokuso, a 25-year-old Sydney-area resident of Samoan extraction and a Tokyo Olympian, improved to 4-0 (3) with a lopsided decision over 37-year-old Cuban defector Yunieski Gonzalez in a light heavyweight affair slated for “10.” Aokuso had Yunieski on the canvas in the sixth round and won by scores of 100-89, 99-90, and 97-92. It was the sixth loss in the last 11 starts for Yunieski who opened his career 16-0.

In a 10-round super bantamweight match, Sam Goodman advanced to 14-0 (7) with a unanimous decision over former IBF 122-pound world titlist and fellow Aussie (via Ireland) TJ Doheny (23-4). The scores were 100-89, 98-92, and 97-92.

Twenty-five-year-old Nikita Tszyu, fighting on the same card as his older brother for the first time, improved to 5-0 (4 KOs) with a fourth-round stoppage of Tasmania’s Bo Belbin (7-1). Some folks in Australia believe that Nikita, a southpaw, has more natural talent than Tim which is quite a compliment.

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